Minnesota

In the absence of reliable estimates of national K-12 staffing, Jim Simpkins and Marguerite Roza compile data from several national sources to determine historical K – 12 staffing ratios. Their analysis finds that national staffing ratios across K-12 education have risen precipitously over several decades and, despite the impact of the Great Recession, remain at 2004 levels. A state-by-state comparison reveals large disparities across states. Since 2000 Minnesota’s staff-student ratio has increased by 7%.

New data and accountability agendas have heightened attention to performance disparities between students with different identifiable needs—needs that stem from poverty, disability, or limited English proficiency. To help states design effective funding policies to serve high-needs students, this brief by Marguerite Roza helps states ask the right questions, tap their...

Breaking tradition: A fixed-dollar pay raise strategy that benefits teachers and school districts In this analysis Marguerite Roza examines both the degree to which pay systems for teachers are more heavily back-loaded than for many other professions and the ramifications of this steep salary curve for teachers, states and school...

Turning a Benefits Conundrum into a Potential Opportunity for Teachers and Students Teacher benefit costs are rising faster than salaries and new revenues are unlikely to appear. This new analysis by Marguerite Roza shows how a longer work year could increase teachers’ annual salaries and improve student outcomes. This unique...

Teachers’ Pensions and the Overgrazed Commons On March 26, 2015 Governing published this commentary by Marguerite Roza and Michael Podgursky on how big raises to teachers nearing retirement is a recipe for letting pension debt get out of control. Read this commentary

The Real Deal on K-12 Staffing In the absence of reliable estimates of national K-12 staffing, Jim Simpkins and Marguerite Roza compile data from several national sources to determine historical K – 12 staffing ratios. Their analysis finds that staffing ratios across K-12 education have risen precipitously over several decades...

More Students, More Degrees, More Dollars Cuts to state support for higher education have prompted some universities to raise tuition, admit more out-of-state students, and increase enrollment to close budget gaps. This analysis authored by Marguerite Roza, Alicia Kinne, Patrick Murphy, and Betheny Gross compares these three strategies in public...

The Opportunity Cost of Smaller Classes: A State-By-State Spending Analysis Consideration of whether smaller classes are preferable to larger ones requires some recognition of the opportunity costs involved. This brief authored by Marguerite Roza and Monica Ouijdani provides a state-by-state context by computing the dollars at stake in marginally raising...

The Sheepskin Effect and Student Achievement: De-emphasizing the Role of Master's Degrees in Teacher Compensation This brief by Raegen Miller and Marguerite Roza dissects the nation’s sizeable investment in master’s bumps as a means of highlighting policy obstacles to a more smartly differentiated compensation approach. The report was published by...

K–12 Job Trends Amidst Stimulus Funds: Early Findings This brief by Marguerite Roza, Chris Lozier and Cristina Sepe explores trends in K–12 education jobs—those funded through the stimulus and by other means—to answer the question of what role ARRA played in overall education employment. This Rapid Response brief was published...